Against Qur'an Burnings; Bishop Wolf at the RISCC Press Conference

By Susan Chase Pracht of St. Martin's, Providence

On September 10, 2010 at Prospect Park in Providence, the Rhode Island State Council of Churches (RISCC) and interfaith leaders lodged their protest against the planned Qur’an burning by a pastor in Gainesville, Florida. This denouncement of religious fanaticism took place on the last day of Rosh Hashanah and Ramadan, only one day prior to the Anniversary of the 911 bombings.


Against the backdrop of Roger Williams’ statue, families with small children gathered along with community activists, government officials, students, and clergy people of all faiths. It was a reminder that Rhode Island was founded on Roger William’s premise that people who held a variety of religious beliefs could live in peaceful harmony.

Eight local clergy members spoke out against the proposed burning, including a Jewish Rabbi, a Catholic Priest, a Muslim Imam and the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, The Rt. Rev. Geralyn Wolf.

Bishop Wolf reminded Rhode Islanders that while our country provides for many liberties in the name of free speech; Christians are called to pattern their life and actions on the one who revealed his love for all human kind. Referencing a full page ad placed in the New York Times that day which stated 'Burning the Qur'an does not illuminate the Bible', she explained that the spiteful destruction of the sacred texts and religious symbols of others runs counter to Jesus’ call for mutual respect.

Officials of the RI State Council of Churches spoke of the outcry against this burning from faith groups across the nation, especially the Florida State Council of Churches, and in a particularly poignant moment, Rabbi Stein of the RI Board of Rabbis quoted the German poet Heinrich Heine, “Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings”.

David Coolidge, the Muslim Chaplain at Brown University, spoke to the heart of the protest when he explained that Muslims revere books because “they are a sign of the inherent nobility of the human being”, representing the intellect which is considered God’s greatest gift to humanity. In closing, he read the first revelation of the Qur’an which begins with the simple command “Read”, to read for God gives knowledge to humanity by the pen.

Although the Florida pastor did not follow through on his planned burning, the nationwide desecration of the Qur’an he petitioned for still occurred. According to The Guardian (UK), the Qur’an was torn up at gatherings in two states and burned by pastors and a church group in at least two additional states.